A. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to construction of resilient surfaces and more particularly to a new and improved method of constructing resilient athletic surfaces and an apparatus for carrying out said method.
B. Description of Related Art
It has been known for some time that surfaces for the performance of athletic or similar activities are beneficially constructed with a coating of rubber particles bound by binding agents such as liquid latex material to result in a surface on which a variety of activities can take place. The resulting surface is resilient, impervious or resistant to damage by exposure to the elements, and has the capability of absorbing and draining off water without creating standing puddles. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,474,833 and 4,529,622, both of which are directed to a method of constructing an all-weather surface comprising essentially the steps of initially coating the surface with a tack-coat of hot asphaltic emulsion or other suitable liquid binder, followed by repetitive cycles of first spreading particulate rubber, and then spraying a liquid binding substance over the particulate rubber layer. After allowing the binder to dry, the spreading particulate and spraying binder steps are repeated until a sufficient thickness is obtained. The known method of constructing such surfaces is therefore time consuming and requires multiple pieces of machinery. The alternative methods of constructing such surfaces have been tried, specifically, mixing a slurry of rubber particulate with a liquid binder and spreading the pre-mixed slurry to the surface. This method, however, has been found to be cumbersome and difficult to apply with consistent results. The need is for a method of constructing particulate rubber surfaces in an economical and efficient operation and an apparatus for carrying out the method.